Lecrín valley to Los GuájaresGranada route

From Lecrin to Guajares

A trip in the western part of the Alpujarra, known as Valle de Lecrín, takes us to an orchad with crops and small villages which have kept their morisco or Moorish essence over the centuries. Only 33 km. from Granada, the visitors will find natural areas, mudéjar churches such as the one in Durcal with its valuable images and altarpieces, and orange and olive groves.

South of the Valle de Lecrín, we find the township of Los Guájares, formed by three villages, Guájar Fondón, Guájar Alto and seat of the town council, Guájar Faragüit. These are small mountain villages that used to be Muslim hamlets and are now grouped in the style of a tahá, the administrative unit of Moorish times. The three villages have 16th century churches.

The dam of Béznar is in the heart of the Valle de Lecrín. It is filled by several rivers that flow from the Sierra Nevada.

Guájar Faragüit, the head of the municipality, is only 22km. from Motril. Faraqüit means "hidden garden" in Arabic.

Durcál is lonked to Granada by a highway. It is a typical example of the villages of the Valle de Lecrín. It is located in the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada, and its surroundings are irrigated by the River Dúrcal. Its mudéjar or Moorish church should not be missed.

El Valle is formed by several rural population units, in the same way as Lecrín. One of them is Restábal, a small village imbued with the flavour of the Alpujarra region.